President Bush, immersed in an intensive reassessment of Iraq war policy, wrapped up consultations with leaders of various political factions there Wednesday amid separate talks with top-ranking U.S. military officers. Bush was due at the Pentagon later Wednesday to hold discussions with senior officials there, where war commanders are urging significantly more U.S. trainers and equipment for beleaguered Iraqi forces - but not more combat troops. On Tuesday, in similar discussions with field commanders, Bush heard Gen. John Abizaid, top U.S. commander in the Middle East, and Gen. George Casey, the top general in Iraq, ask the administration to pour increased funding into more armored vehicles, body armor and other critical equipment for the Iraqis, said a defense specialist familiar with the meetings. The source requested anonymity because the discussions were private... http://www.guardian.co.uk

Mordechai Vanunu spent 18 years in prison for revealing secrets about Israel's nuclear program. With Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apparently spilling the beans, he now feels vindicated, he told SPIEGEL ONLINE in an interview. "So what else is new?" That seems to be the laconic reaction of many in the world to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's seeming admission over the weekend that Israel possesses nuclear weapons. For Mordechai Vanunu, a former employee at Israel's Dimona nuclear complex in the Negev Desert, Olmert's slip-up is little more than an example of the "absurdity of political life" in Israel, he told SPIEGEL ONLINE in an interview on Tuesday. Vanunu was the source for an exhaustive 1986 story in the Sunday Times about Israel's nuclear weapons arsenal. Even as Israel officially denied the story, the country's secret service, the Mossad, arrested Vanunu and he ultimately spent 18 years in prison for treason -- 11 of them in solitary confinement. ...http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,454349,00.html

Afghan President Hamid Karzai must set up a court to prosecute war crimes and human rights abuses carried out during almost 30 years of conflict in the south Asian nation, Human Rights Watch said. Failure to act against warlords and drug traffickers is undermining support for the government as it tackles a Taliban- led insurgency, the New York-based group said in a report. ``Justice is vital for long-term stability,'' Human Rights Watch said. ``Afghans need to know the government can tackle the warlords and provide basic security, despite Taliban claims to the contrary.'' Afghanistan, a country of 31 million people, has experienced almost 30 years of conflict since the Soviet invasion in 1979. Supporters of the ousted Taliban regime are waging a guerrilla war against international and Afghan troops and are trying to destabilize Karzai's government. ...http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZZTA10Zqx4I

Former President Jimmy Carter prayed with rabbis who are angered by his new book's reference to apartheid in describing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but he didn't change their minds. The Board of Rabbis of Greater Phoenix said they wouldn't call for a boycott of Carter's book, ``Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,'' but they also won't suggest that anyone read it. ``I don't know if he gets the evil that we are facing,'' said Rabbi Bonnie Koppell of Scottsdale. Carter, 82, was met by a crowd of protesters as he appeared at a book store in suburban Tempe to autograph copies of the book. He said he chose the title to shine light on the festering conflict and give Americans a different point of view than what they're used to...http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6277944,00.html

Saudi Arabia has warned Washington it might provide financial aid to Iraqi Sunnis in any fighting against Shiites if the U.S. pulls its troops out of Iraq, The New York Times reported Wednesday. Saudi Arabia, a majority Sunni country, has promised U.S. officials that it would not intervene to assist Iraq's Sunni insurgency, according to the report, which cited anonymous American and Arab diplomatic sources. But that promise might not hold if U.S. troops leave Iraq, the newspaper said. The Bush administration has repeatedly said there are no plans for the immediate pullout of U.S. troops. The Times reported that Saudi King Abdullah sent the warning to Vice President Dick Cheney two weeks ago during the vice president's visit to Riyadh. The message also emphasized the kingdom's displeasure with proposed talks between the U.S. government and Iran. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/13/iraq/main2253285.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2253285

By the year 2030, New York City could have so many people straining its infrastructure that it won't have enough electricity or housing to meet demand and rush hour traffic will last all day.The city of 8.2 million people must start planning and building now for the expected growth of 1 million more over the next 25 years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a panel of experts warned."We now have the freedom to take on the obstacles looming in the city's future and to begin clearing them away before they become rooted in place," Bloomberg said Tuesday.Some of the findings presented Tuesday by a team of city planners, academics, scientists and environmentalists who have spent the past year studying the city's infrastructure and assessing its viability to cope include:...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/13/ap/national/mainD8M019L80.shtml